The Institute for the Study of Human Rights welcomes scholars engaged in research on a wide range of human rights topics. The Visiting Scholars Program is designed to provide visiting scholars access to the rich research and educational community at Columbia. Situated in New York City, scholars have the chance to explore the city’s range of NGOs, United Nations bodies, and significant research universities and institutes.
At Columbia, visiting scholars have full access to all of our many libraries, the Human Rights Web Archive and the Center for Human Rights Documentation & Research. The Authur W. Diamond Law Library Research Guide for international human rights research provides scholars additional legal research support and resources, as well as the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School, which offers a range of engaging events every semester. Scholars are also connected to the expert faculty at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights who are actively engaged in research and teaching of human rights topics, and are encouraged to audit human right-related courses and attend the monthly Human Rights Seminar.
Previous visiting scholars have conducted research on a breadth of research topics. Examples of past research projects include:
- The development of an electronic exhibit relating to the Archive Legacy of Conflict in South Asia at the Columbia University Libraries
- The creation of a model for social and environmental mitigation with indigenous communities to move away from confrontation, conflict, and hostile development towards conservation and conversation
- An exploration of Roma identity in the global context
- Research into counter-narratives of female delegates of the 1948 drafting of the UDHR
- An investigation of the genealogy of human rights theory, practice and their claim to universality, particularly in relation to their visual representation in exhibitions, museums and digital media.
